SAE Expression College is nestled in the thriving Bay Area, just across the bridge from San Francisco in Emeryville, CA.

The Bay Area is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters than any other city outside of New York.

Our school is connected to a network of over 50 SAE Institute campuses worldwide.

Prepare for a career in visual effects for film, television, emerging applications in 3D visualization, and 3D animation at SAE Expression College.

Ranked as one of the top 50 Animation programs in the US, and one of the top 20 Animation programs on the West Coast by Animation Career Review, you can learn the fundamentals of animation and visual effects as you study in the same neighborhood as animation giant, Pixar®.

In as few as 32 months, you can earn your Bachelor's Degree in Animation & Visual Effects and can be prepared for entry-level career opportunities as a Concept or Story Artist, Character Modeler, Lighting Artist, Motion Editor, Animator, and more.

"What I enjoyed about being at [SAE] Expression is kind of what I enjoy in my career now, which is being surrounded by other creative people who are working really hard...it just felt like there was a lot of creative energy."

Alex Henning, Alumnus

Alex is currently the Visual Effects Supervisor at Pixomondo. He has worked on blockbuster films including Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and most recently Hugo, for which he won an Oscar in the category of Best Visual Effects.

Learn by doing.

At SAE Expression College, you'll learn hands-on and be able to interact with industry professionals to solve real problems. Learn and practice the fundamentals of art, animation design, and visual effects, and apply those skills to drawing, storyboarding, 2D animation, video editing, 3D animation, texture and lighting, modeling, character rigging, compositing, rendering, motion capture, and dynamic effects. Through a series of projects mirroring the real world pipeline, you can demonstrate your knowledge and abilities to potential employers.